Confessions of an Oracle Database Junkie - Arup Nanda
The opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. They may not necessarily reflect that of my employers and customers - both past or present. The comments left by the reviewers are theirs alone and may not reflect my opinion whether implied or not. None of the advice is warranted to be free of errors and ommision. Please use at your own risk and after thorough testing in your environment.

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Friday, January 21, 2011

Thank You for the Overwhelming Response to the 100 Series

A few weeks ago, while delivering a session at New York Oracle Users Group, I had the idea of starting a blog series with a title 100 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Oracle Database. From the myriads of emails I have received so far, I know it has been quite successful in helping many readers. I was pleasantly surprised to hear from even some seasoned DBAs how it helped them. I would like to take this moment to talk about a few things.In the initial installment, I put a self declared goal of producing an installment a week. I quickly, after the first installment itself, realized it was lofty, way lofty goal. I have a day job as a Database Architect where I research options, prepare project plans, estimate budgets, get approvals for the projects, jump in DBA operations, develop strategies of all terms, get them approved, chase everyone from the Sys Admin to the mailman to make sure the train chugs along. I also write articles, give training seminars, present technical sessions, review manuscripts of books (and occasionally write one), critique published books sent to me by publishers, do some mentoring, and yada yada yada. And, you see, I am just an average person with a family that needs me as well. This little “hobby”, however satisfying, faces a lot of competition. What is the alternative? I could write shorter pieces or simply drop the code examples, figures, etc. which take up most of the time. On second thought, most of you actually like the articles because of these very elements - code examples and figures; and I don’t want to drop them.Therefore, as much as it hurts me, I have to renege on the commitment of one installment a week. I would rather produce some quality content than just a bunch.Second, I don’t have a plan, a set schedule or a “roadmap” for this series. I choose the next content based on what I get in the feedback. If you would like to see a specific topic covered, please drop me an email, tweet or put in the comment section here. Please be as specific as possible.Third, some of the comments has been about additional questions which were probably not covered very well in the blog entry. I consider them to be success, rather that a failure of the writing. You see, a “complete” writing is an oxymoron; it does not exist. If article, blog or book does not generate ten other questions, then it fails. The objective of my series is never to be 100% comprehensive; instead it aims to build a foundation and generate additional interest. Some of the questions are planned to be answered in the subsequent installments; rest are left in the wishlist for the future articles.Finally, an author is nothing without readers. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, dear reader, for reading this. Life makes demands, which is perhaps more true for technologists like yourself; your decision to devote a slice of your life to this series is a conscious investment you made. I am honored and grateful for that.Arup NandaDanbury CT, USAJanuary 20th, 2011Twitter: arupnanda